IG Drops Commission on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana to Undercut UK Crypto Rivals

Monday, 01/06/2026 | 08:16 GMT by Damian Chmiel
  • The FTSE 100 broker now charges only a 0.07% exchange fee on its three most-traded tokens, while the rest of its crypto lineup stays at 1.49%.
  • IG's crypto unit still sits outside the UK's main consumer protection schemes.
IG Group

IG has scrapped trading commissions on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana for its UK clients, leaving customers to pay only a 0.07% external exchange fee charged by the broker's liquidity partner.

The London-listed firm (LSE: IGG) said the change took effect today (Monday) and applies to the three coins it sees traded most often on its platform.

A Price War Comes to The UK Crypto

The move pushes IG deeper into a fee fight that has reshaped retail investing over the past few years.

The broker already offers commission-free dealing in stocks, ETFs and funds across ISAs, SIPPs and general investment accounts, and it began offering spot crypto to UK and Irish retail clients in June 2025 through a partnership with Uphold, which handles pricing and custody.

Pricing on the rest of IG's crypto menu has not moved. The company said buying or selling any other token still carries a 1.49% fee, the flat rate it has charged since the spot service went live.

IG UK and Ireland Managing Director Michael Healy framed the cut as part of a broader low-cost build-out, arguing that buyers should not have to trade away safety for savings. "Investors shouldn't have to choose between value and trust when buying crypto," he said.

What IG's Comparison Table Leaves Out

To make its case, IG published a table comparing the cost of buying £100 of Bitcoin across rival platforms.

Provider

Initial investment

Total paid in commission / spread

Other charges

Total cost

IG

£100

£0

£0.07

£0.07

Bitstamp

£100

£1.80

Up to £0.50 extra during high volatility

£1.80-£2.30

Revolut

£100

£1.49 (trading fee)

£0

£1.49

eToro

£100

£1.00 (1% spread fee on buy)

£0

£1.00

Binance

£100

£0.10

Variable loan interest and margin interest fees

£0.10

Source: IG Group

By its own reckoning, an IG client would pay 7 pence, against £1.49 at Revolut, £1 at eToro and between £1.80 and £2.30 at Bitstamp once volatility surcharges are added. Binance came closest, at 10 pence or more, the company said.

Those figures come from IG and have not been independently verified. The table also excludes the subscription tiers that several of those platforms offer, which can cut per-trade costs for active users, and it measures a one-off purchase rather than the full cost of holding or moving the asset.

Rivals Crowd Into the Same Trade

IG is far from alone in chasing crypto-curious retail money. eToro, which counts digital assets as a meaningful slice of its commission income, has long folded crypto into its zero-commission equity pitch.

Revolut hired Coinbase's risk chief in May 2026 to drive a global crypto push and has been building out its own standalone dealing app.

The pressure is also coming from inside IG's own group. IG Europe is expanding crypto across the EU through a tie-up with MiCA-licensed Bitpanda, while the parent firm plans to launch a crypto offering in Singapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026 after buying the exchange Independent Reserve.

US banks are circling too, with SoFi recently becoming the first to offer retail crypto trading under new rules.

A Small Book Behind the Big Claim

For all the pricing noise, IG's crypto business is still tiny. The company reported just £0.3 million in spot crypto revenue between June and August 2025 and about 9,700 monthly active traders, most of them in the US through its tastytrade arm.

Only around 500 active crypto traders were based in the UK and Ireland over that stretch, according to the filing.

There is also a catch. IG holds a cryptoasset registration with the Financial Conduct Authority, but the crypto services themselves fall outside the UK's main safety nets. Money deposited for crypto trading is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the activity is not protected by the FCA's consumer rules.

IG has steadily widened the service since launch, adding token swaps, new coins and the ability to transfer crypto into client accounts.

IG has scrapped trading commissions on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana for its UK clients, leaving customers to pay only a 0.07% external exchange fee charged by the broker's liquidity partner.

The London-listed firm (LSE: IGG) said the change took effect today (Monday) and applies to the three coins it sees traded most often on its platform.

A Price War Comes to The UK Crypto

The move pushes IG deeper into a fee fight that has reshaped retail investing over the past few years.

The broker already offers commission-free dealing in stocks, ETFs and funds across ISAs, SIPPs and general investment accounts, and it began offering spot crypto to UK and Irish retail clients in June 2025 through a partnership with Uphold, which handles pricing and custody.

Pricing on the rest of IG's crypto menu has not moved. The company said buying or selling any other token still carries a 1.49% fee, the flat rate it has charged since the spot service went live.

IG UK and Ireland Managing Director Michael Healy framed the cut as part of a broader low-cost build-out, arguing that buyers should not have to trade away safety for savings. "Investors shouldn't have to choose between value and trust when buying crypto," he said.

What IG's Comparison Table Leaves Out

To make its case, IG published a table comparing the cost of buying £100 of Bitcoin across rival platforms.

Provider

Initial investment

Total paid in commission / spread

Other charges

Total cost

IG

£100

£0

£0.07

£0.07

Bitstamp

£100

£1.80

Up to £0.50 extra during high volatility

£1.80-£2.30

Revolut

£100

£1.49 (trading fee)

£0

£1.49

eToro

£100

£1.00 (1% spread fee on buy)

£0

£1.00

Binance

£100

£0.10

Variable loan interest and margin interest fees

£0.10

Source: IG Group

By its own reckoning, an IG client would pay 7 pence, against £1.49 at Revolut, £1 at eToro and between £1.80 and £2.30 at Bitstamp once volatility surcharges are added. Binance came closest, at 10 pence or more, the company said.

Those figures come from IG and have not been independently verified. The table also excludes the subscription tiers that several of those platforms offer, which can cut per-trade costs for active users, and it measures a one-off purchase rather than the full cost of holding or moving the asset.

Rivals Crowd Into the Same Trade

IG is far from alone in chasing crypto-curious retail money. eToro, which counts digital assets as a meaningful slice of its commission income, has long folded crypto into its zero-commission equity pitch.

Revolut hired Coinbase's risk chief in May 2026 to drive a global crypto push and has been building out its own standalone dealing app.

The pressure is also coming from inside IG's own group. IG Europe is expanding crypto across the EU through a tie-up with MiCA-licensed Bitpanda, while the parent firm plans to launch a crypto offering in Singapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026 after buying the exchange Independent Reserve.

US banks are circling too, with SoFi recently becoming the first to offer retail crypto trading under new rules.

A Small Book Behind the Big Claim

For all the pricing noise, IG's crypto business is still tiny. The company reported just £0.3 million in spot crypto revenue between June and August 2025 and about 9,700 monthly active traders, most of them in the US through its tastytrade arm.

Only around 500 active crypto traders were based in the UK and Ireland over that stretch, according to the filing.

There is also a catch. IG holds a cryptoasset registration with the Financial Conduct Authority, but the crypto services themselves fall outside the UK's main safety nets. Money deposited for crypto trading is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the activity is not protected by the FCA's consumer rules.

IG has steadily widened the service since launch, adding token swaps, new coins and the ability to transfer crypto into client accounts.

About the Author: Damian Chmiel
Damian Chmiel
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About the Author: Damian Chmiel
Damian Chmiel is a Senior Analyst & Editor at Finance Magnates with more than 15 years of experience in the CFD and online trading industry. Active as both a trader and journalist since 2010, he focuses on broker coverage, fintech innovation, and regulatory developments across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. His work includes interviews with C-level leaders at major brokerages and fintech platforms, as well as co-authoring Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry benchmarking reports. Damian’s reporting is data-driven, market-aware, and grounded in direct industry engagement. His analysis and commentary have also been cited by external media outlets, including Investing.com, Binance, The Asset, Stockhead, and Dispatch. Education: MA in Finance and Accounting, Cracow University of Economics
  • 3589 Articles
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